Joakim Noah is widely considered the emotional leader of the Chicago Bulls. It should be no surprise then that he came to the defense of Derrick Rose, offering some choice words for those who have criticized the point guard for sitting out this entire season with a knee injury.

"Derrick's a brother," Noah said, according to ESPNChicago.com. "And to see him go through this is tough, but at the end of the day it's really funny how quick people are to judge. But people don't know what it's like to lead a team, especially after you tore your ACL.

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has come under criticism for his extensive time away from the court for an ACL injury. (AP Photo)

"If you tore your ACL and you have to be the starting point guard and have the expectations that Derrick has, then maybe you can judge, but everybody who hasn't been in that situation before should really shut up because I feel like it's just so unfair to him and to this team. We're fighting, and everybody's going to just s--- on somebody who's been giving so much to this organization. It's crazy to me."

Part of the critiques of Rose’s approach are self-inflicted. His open-ended responses to questions of whether he will return have a certain light at the end of the tunnel effect that fans will not let go. Regardless of Rose's intention, his statements have kept hope of a return alive and, thusly, equaled outrage when he doesn’t take the court.

Another angle at play is the fact that so many Chicago Bulls players have fought through injury only to take lace up time and again. Comparing one injury to another is never apples to apples, especially when one is as severe as Rose's ACL tear. Still, it happens.

And the list of Bulls injuries is quite extensive. Noah, for instance, played these NBA playoffs despite the lingering effects of plantar fasciitis; Luol Deng was tested for viral meningitis and considered traveling to Miami despite experiencing spinal tap complications; Kirk Hinrich is desperate to play despite a calf injury that hindered his ability to walk.

For his part, Rose has not ruled out a return and maintains that his status is “still up in the air”. In the meantime, Rose’s teammates have offered nothing but support in the face of much criticism. But they’ve all heard the whispers, and Noah assumes that Rose has as well.

"He can say that he doesn't [listen to it]," Noah said. "I think he's dealing with it unbelievable. He's tough as nails, man. He's not budging. He doesn't let none of that affect him; whether it's praise or people judging him about his decision, he's the same. He's the same, and I really respect that because I don't think a lot of people could deal with the things that he deals with on a daily basis."